Let me try out a trade idea that will never ever happen, but absolutely should:

Garnett to SAS for Stephen Jackson (expiring) + picks.

Why it's a great idea: Karmic justice. Garnett + Duncan working together? The chance for NBA fans to watch what would be the best team defense of all time? The chance for Boston to get out from under the last two years of that contract and for San Antonio to go for it all. Splitter only plays around 23 mpg, so Garnett would be replacing Diaw's minutes primarily.

Why it will never happen: probably a little light on the value for Boston. Egos, and SAS's reluctance to make trades midseason.

[51] I hate that trade as a Celtics fan - but as a basketball fan, the idea of the two best post defenders of the last 20 years playing alongside each other is...intriguing to say the least.

The chance for Boston to get out from under the last two years of that contract

Just an aside- I know you're just talking hypothetically- but this shouldn't really be a motivating factor for Boston. He's not owed that much, and is still good. It's not like they're going to attract Lebron or Paul or Howard over the next two summers if they can clear the cap space.

Jalen Rose made a similar suggestion, Splitter and Jackson for KG. (I dunno if Jalen bothers to check if his trades work under the cap.)

But, a) Duncan and KG don't get along, and I don't see Popovich forcing his surrogate son to do anything he doesn't want to do, and b) it illustrates the point I was making earlier: even though Splitter is a big man which is more of a Celts need, you'd still rather rebuild around Bledsoe than Splitter because he's just better (I think).

Anything more we can say about how awesome LeBron is?

James scored 31 points on 13-of-14 shooting to lead Miami past Charlotte 99-94 Monday night, giving the Heat their 10th consecutive victory against the Bobcats.

According to STATS, James' effort tied for the league's third-best shooting performance with at least that many attempts in the last 18 years. Shaquille O'Neal was 15 for 16 for the Heat against Seattle on Feb. 25, 2006, and Dwight Howard was 14 for 15 for Orlando against Philadelphia on April 14, 2007.

"I didn't plan it that way, I was just attacking when I could, got into the paint and was able to make some shots," said James, who made nine shots from 2 feet or closer.

13 of 14? Sounds like LeBron shot one of his patented LeBricks, thus proving my point about his poor shooting ability.

/Bayless

And World Peace should get another suspension for "punching" Brandon Knight.

One game.

Anything more we can say about how awesome LeBron is?

His FG% is now up to .555?

Speaking of %, I'm enjoying Curry taking a ridiculous amount of 3s and making them at a higher clip than he makes 2s.

So this was weird:

Noah, who sat out his third straight game with plantar fasciitis, was asked to leave the Bulls’ bench by NBA personnel after the All Star center didn’t meet the league’s dress code.

Dressed in a cardigan, blazer and jeans, Noah was forced to change into a more league-friendly outfit. He returned after halftime wearing a blue-striped shirt and jacket.

Real time account:

Nick Friedell ?@NickFriedell
Something is happening -- Noah was just escorted off the floor by team security. He was laughing -- it didn't look serious.

Nick Friedell ?@NickFriedell
Turns out somebody from the league office didn't like Noah's skinny jeans/sweater/blazer combo. They called and he had to leave the bench.

Nick Friedell ?@NickFriedell
Noah returns to the bench. He has taken off the sweater and is now wearing a striped polo shirt. VladRad sees him and says, "All right!"

Maybe they saved him money by making him change during the game? That is the first thing VladRad has done as a Bull all season.

Only Joakim Noah could somehow turn a cardigan into a middle finger to The Man.

Anything more we can say about how awesome LeBron is?

I almost posted this as well. Threw in 8 rebounds and 8 assists as well. Now shooting 56% for the season.

13 of 14? Sounds like LeBron shot one of his patented LeBricks, thus proving my point about his poor shooting ability.

Only 8 assists? Why isn't he passing the ball more?

None of you unrepentant LeBron fanboys has mentioned the 5 turnovers I see.

The chance for Boston to get out from under the last two years of that contract

What? No, really, what? Garnett is old, sure, but he's a steal at $12M per year, with no raises. By the numbers: he's leading the team in PER, DRtg*, defensive win shares, and total win shares (tied with Pierce). He's third in +/- (with +40; next best is Jeff Green at +15). By the eye, for most of the season, the defense has cratered when he leaves the floor, and infuriating as it is to see him shoot so well and so often with his heels hard to the 3-point line, without a reliable roll man (Doc doesn't trust Wilcox's defense fully, even when he's healthy (occasionally at best)), Garnett's spacing is vital. And by all accounts, he sets the tone in the locker room and is by far the best big-man coach the Celtics have. Sullinger in particular has raved about his guidance. More to the point, the Celtics have too much money tied up in good-but-not-great players over the next few years to fully blow it up. Getting out from under that contract would leave them with a thoroughly mediocre team without max-contract cap room.

That said, I would love to see a Duncan-KG front line in action, both for basketball reasons and to see them have to come to terms with each other. Lots and lots of bad blood there, but both are on the short-list of alleged best teammates in the league.

* Fab Melo is technically number 1 with a DRtg on 75; he played 3 garbage time minutes against the Magic where the only person who could score was Kyle O'Quinn. Who shot 5-6 while being guarded by Fab Melo.

None of you unrepentant LeBron fanboys has mentioned the 5 turnovers I see.

Aren't you as unrepentant as any of us?

It's Bulls day for Zach Lowe at grantland. Jimmy Butler and defense.

It's because LeBron doesn't focus on the game enough. You never saw Michael Jordan hanging out at websites-- he was too busy working in the gym.

LeBron and Durant are having wondrous seasons.

Ripping off Haberstroh:
For example, Carmelo is finally having a season commensurate with the player he’s long been made out to be. If he made his next 200 shots, LeBron would still have a better FG% (55.5% - over half of his shots are jumpers, including a healthy number of threes). If Durant hit his next 75 shots (and he’s shooting 51.6% from the field, which is amazing), he’d still be behind LeBron. OTOH, if LeBron hit his next 500 free throws, his FT% would behind Durant’s.

Durant is a 29.4/7.5/4.4, 1.6 stl, 3.2 to, 1.2 blk, shooting 52-42-90 (on 18.3 fga, 4.6 3pa, 9.5 fta).
James is a 26.7/8.3/7.0, 1.7 stl, 2.9 to, 0.8 blk, shooting 56-40-74 (on 18.6 fga, 3.2 3pa, 6.5 fta).

I honestly don’t know which season is better.

By WS/48, both seasons look to potentially slot in the top 10-20 of all time. There’s one other season pair that meets that criteria – LeBron and Chris Paul four years back.
Using PER, they’re looking at top 30 seasons. Shaq and McGrady, Jordan and Robinson, and LeBron/Paul/Wade all had great marks in the same season by that method.

Garnett would cost a premium - he's still an amazing player. What's the rumor - that he won't allow a trade unless Boston has already moved Pierce? Do you see them moving both guys?

In (serious) reference to 59, it strikes me as more than a little ridiculous that the NBA is enforcing their dress code like this. The dress code itself is troublesome, insofar as there are uncomfortable racial dynamics at play there, but on some level I understand it. But is the image of the league at all harmed by the presence of a player in a freaking cardigan on the bench?

Do you see them moving both guys?

Granting I can't rule out Danny Ainge doing just about anything - no.

Me either.

In (serious) reference to 59, it strikes me as more than a little ridiculous that the NBA is enforcing their dress code like this.

From a practical point of view, either you have a set dress code with little-to-no-room for interpretation, or you have a league official at every venue clearing a guy's bench attire.

So I watched every game of the 2011 NBA Playoffs...then took a couple of years off, in which I haven't followed the league at all.

1) Why do the Lakers suck?

2) Did everyone on the Celtics just get old?

3) I could have named literally zero players on the Warriors or the Nuggets, and they're 5-6 in the West. What is the meaning of this?

From a practical point of view, either you have a set dress code with little-to-no-room for interpretation, or you have a league official at every venue clearing a guy's bench attire.

Or just fine violators, like the NFL does. I think the fact that he was asked to leave the bench is slightly more ridiculous than fining him, but probably preferable to Noah himself. Outside of the original controversy when the rule was handed down from on high, I haven't heard much about it. Has anyone ever been fined for it? Asked to leave? I honestly don't know.

Garnett would cost a premium - he's still an amazing player.

Something that is hard to measure, but is always a consideration for the team, is also the off-court benefits someone like KG provides to them - tickets, ratings, non-game events, prestige, etc. There's a ton of value to the C's to keep KG on their team and for him to finish his career there. Pierce too. Maybe Ainge isn't sentimental, but it doesn't mean he can't be overruled.

What is the meaning of this?

then took a couple of years off, in which I haven't followed the league at all.

1) Why do the Lakers suck?

2) Did everyone on the Celtics just get old?

3) I could have named literally zero players on the Warriors or the Nuggets, and they're 5-6 in the West. What is the meaning of this?

1) A combination of injuries, mismatched personnel and coach, and lack of depth.

2) Pierce and Garnett are old, but both are still effective. Their team defense is still excellent; however, their offense is inefficient (too many long twos and not enough layups, threes and foul shots) and they can't score enough to win. They are a tougher out in the playoffs than their record would indicate but are almost certainly done as a real contender.

3) The Nuggets did great in their Carmelo trade, and the Warriors have been looking like a talented bunch for a couple of years, but have finally started playing some defense and managed to avoid the injury bug this year. And, you don't follow the NBA, so why would you have heard of any of those guys?

I assume the dress code issue is that they require a collar and he didn't have a collar. It's not like they're suspending him from games. Not that big of a deal.

Durant vs. Lebron- By my eye, Durant's defense has improved, but it only gets him into above-average territory. Lebron is still one of the best in the league and can effectively guard four positions. That breaks the close offensive comparison for me. I will say that Durant offsets some of Lebron's playmaking by being better off the ball and allowing his superstar teammate create for stretches.

1) Why do the Lakers suck?

A big part of it is that they built a team with no perimeter defense on the assumption that Howard could make up for it, and Howard just hasn't been healthy enough to support their needs.

I will say that Durant offsets some of Lebron's playmaking by being better off the ball

Serious question: is he? And, if so, in what way? For example, I looked at the numbers over the last 2 years and if we assume that it is harder to shoot off of the dribble than off of the catch, one could make an argument that LeBron is a better shooter than Durant (I think Synergy tracks this so that would settle this). If not better, then at least as good. Basically, I just looked at their shooting percentages at the various locations on HoopData then made an eyeball adjustment based on Assisted%. There are inherent problems with this method, for example, misses off of passes won't show up.

EDIT: This is of course without mentioning Durant's off the ball issues that pop up in late game situations where OKC starts sets with the ball in Westbrook's hands.

Serious question: is he? And, if so, in what way? For example, I looked at the numbers over the last 2 years and if we assume that it is harder to shoot off of the dribble than off of the catch, one could make an argument that LeBron is a better shooter than Durant (I think Synergy tracks this so that would settle this). If not better, then at least as good. Basically, I just looked at their shooting percentages at the various locations on HoopData then made an eyeball adjustment based on Assisted%. There are inherent problems with this method, for example, misses off of passes won't show up.

It is a fair question, and I would readily change my feeling about it if there were clear numbers arguing the other way. What I was getting at in my previous comment is that I think it is easier for Westbrook to create plays with Durant off the ball than it is for Wade to create plays with Lebron off the ball. It seems that defenses are more willing to collapse off of Lebron and that nobody ever leaves Durant (again, based on observation since I do not know how to get an objective measurement).

Of course, there are numerous follow-up questions. Is it fair to compare Westbrook and Wade? Is Lebron's shooting percentage a function of his shot selection? Do defenses really play them differently off the ball? If so, how much of that is a function of their teams' offensive schemes? Is Durant better in catch-and-shoot situations? Does Lebron cut better off the ball?

62:77 at the half between Warrior Rockets.... yes... Rockets are 14-18 from downtown but 12-29 elsewhere.

Lin is going off on the one year anniversary of the start of Linsanity. Just call him Mr. February.

Houston 1 3 away from the NBA record with 4 min to go...

Kobe is spooky. His younger self came out tonight.

Kobe is spooky. His younger self came out tonight.

PED ? (run)

well that got ugly, Houston tied the record with nearly 3 minutes left, then the warriors decided to foul them the rest of the way so they can't get the final one.

Lin : 28 points 9 assists in 32 min .. +37 (!)

Primer RT:

@WojYahooNBA: Pau Gasol felt a "pop" in the bottom of his foot, on crutches now. Getting an MRI on Wednesday.

Also, Sam Dalembert tonight through almost 3 quarters:

Career high 29 pts on 14-15 shooting...in 15 minutes.

The Laker trainwreck : the gift that keeps on giving?

And Dalembert sits with 5 minutes left. 35 and 11 in 22 minutes.

Gallo just hit one of the most ridiculous And 1s I've ever seen in my life.

And Dalembert sits with 5 minutes left. 35 and 11 in 22 minutes.

the points are impressive, but having seen him play for most of his career, i'd say the most shocking aspect of his game was the fact that he didn't turn the ball over.

Gallo just hit one of the most ridiculous And 1s I've ever seen in my life.

That was insane. Denver is such an entertaining team to watch.

89. RollingWave Posted: February 05, 2013 at 11:49 PM (#4363584)
The Laker trainwreck : the gift that keeps on giving?

It's always a little fascinating when people hate the Lakers so much that they even cheer injuries.

I don't cheer injuries, i mean in a 2011 Red Sox or 2010 Mets kind of comical implosion of a high profile team.

As Zach Lowe pointed out a month ago, while 50-40-90 is extremely impressive, to simply lump this Durant season in among all the other 50-40-90 campaigns is selling KD short. He's doing this while leading the league in scoring.

Only one other person in NBA history has combined the volume and efficiency that we're seeing from Durant this season: Larry Bird in his prime (at ages 29 and 30).

Good Kirk Goldsberry piece on Durant's improvement from Grantland (apropos given yesterday's Durant/Lebron lovefest.

I don't think this is selective endpointing, but I also don't know what's magical about .290 WS/48. Its a good time to be an NBA fan:

WS/48 >= .290, WS > 10 (to filter small sample sizes, and get this year's performances in)

Is '12-'13 Kevin Durant better than '10-'11 Dwight Howard?

EDIT: Related, is it too early to start thinking about Durant in terms of where he (could) rank all time?

[94,95] Yeah -- I think you can appreciate team schadenfreude while still feeling bad for Pau getting injured, and wishing he weren't injured.

EDIT: Related, is it too early to start thinking about Durant in terms of where he (could) rank all time?

No. He's probably going to lead the league in PPG for the 4th season in a row. His efficiency is Bird-esque. His assist numbers are up. His defense has improved every year. He's 24 years old. It's not unreasonable to talk about him in the same sentence with all-timers. His career thus far is certainly worthy of it.